Author: Messaging and Marketing

With Week One in the rearview mirror, the Dallas ISD has many successes to celebrate surrounding the start of the 2014-2015 school year. Staffing One of the largest successes was starting the school year with 10,600 qualified teachers. This year, the Dallas ISD made history by filling 99.9 percent of the district’s teaching positions before the first day of school. Human Capital Management’s focused efforts on recruiting and hiring placed a teacher in all but 14 classrooms across the district at the start of the school year. Call Center Operators for Dallas ISD Connect, the district’s call center, ended the…

It’s no easy task for a teacher to keep her skills when moving from her native country to another one thousands of miles away. But that’s what teachers Sonia Medina Rodriguez and Silvia Lozano Rodriguez, originally from Albacete, Spain, have done. They are two of more than 60 teachers from Spain who have decided to take a leap of faith and travel to Texas to teach for the Dallas Independent School District. “In the beginning, it’s a little difficult because it’s different than Spain,” said Medina Rodriguez. “You’re far from your family, your friends and everything is new, but then…

When tragedies happen at district schools, a cadre of specially trained staff stand ready to step in to comfort, reassure and counsel students, staff and families. A death or other tragedy involving a student or school staff member brings with it the same grief felt by a family when one of its members is stricken. In a school setting, that might mean upwards of 500 staff and students need help grappling with loss or trauma. While the school counselors represent the front line in this process, the district’s Psychological and Social Services Department is staffed with 37 full-time licensed counselors,…

International Literacy Day is Monday, Sept. 8. Help your students celebrate the power of literacy by engaging them in an extra 60 seconds of literacy activities each day for 60 days. It’s that easy! Looking for inspirational tips on how to inspire your student? Visit the International Literacy Page or the Dallas ISD Library & Media Services webpage and get ready to “Lift Off to Literacy” with the Dallas ISD.

With the school year under way, parents will soon receive news of Open House or Meet the Teacher events scheduled at their children’s schools. Here are a few tips to help parents make the most of these events: Do your research Find out what programs exist at your child’s school and how your child can get involved. Programs can include curricular and extracurricular activities, which take place during or after the school day. Many schools work with partners to provide additional learning opportunities and services to students. Learn what the school offers outside of the classroom to widen the scope…

Find out when your favorite Dallas Independent School District football teams will play this season! Schedules for 2014 high school varsity, junior varsity and middle school games are available, including the times, dates, opponents and locations for home and away games. Schedules: Varsity Football Junior Varsity Football Middle School Football Visit the Dallas ISD Athletics website for more information

For children new to the United States, the first step in the process of becoming a Dallas ISD student puts them in a safe environment surrounded by smiling faces. In its second year, the Margaret and Gilbert Herrera Student Intake Center assesses immigrant children and registers them for school. As of last week, the center has aided more than 1,000 families since July. Many families arrive at the center after being referred by the schools in their new neighborhoods. Marlene Yépez-Porras, parent/community liaison specialist, has been with the center since it opened last year. “We believe it’s something that’s very…

Through its Service Above Self Teacher Awards, the Rotary Club of Dallas calls attention to the importance of teachers, and rewards those who demonstrate excellence by going the “extra mile.” Each year the organization solicits nominees from all Dallas ISD schools, and selects three finalists at elementary, middle and high school levels. Finalists are honored at a recognition luncheon, and receive cash and other awards, with the winner at each level taking home $2,500. “Every year, it is a very special day for all who attend, but especially because it’s a chance to give much- deserved recognition to those dedicated…

In 1989, Marcus Gates told his high school coach, “Mark my words, I’ll be head coach here one day.” Today, not only is he the head football coach at James Madison High School, he’s also the athletic director, and teaches college and career readiness. A natural at motivating students at Madison to work hard and pursue college, Gates draws inspiration from vivid childhood memories of his grandmother working long hours to support an extended family of nine. “By watching her, I learned to work hard, and I knew that education would be critical if I wanted something different for my…

The dress code went out the window for teachers by the third day of school in favor of masks, helmets and capes at Dallas ISD’s Mark Twain Leadership Vanguard. The colorful attire helped kick off a year-long effort, “Teachers are Super Heroes,” to show students positive role models through real and imagined heroes. Heroes, Cops and Kids, a program started by two Dallas police officers, will also work with the school in promoting positive behavior, decision-making and ways to cope with peer pressure. “We want students to know that they are all superheroes in their own ways,” said counselor Keith…